The day before Chen Cao and his party arrived in Luoyang, Dou Tao returned to Chang'an with more than ten followers. He first went to see his father Dou Lang. Dou Lang was now the general of the auxiliary state. He learned that his son Dou Tao and Ping Ping
The marriage with the Su family failed and they returned without success. He frowned and said, "The prince has sent envoys to lobby Huaibei Wuwu. Sujiabao should be the most promising one to return. However, things are not harmonious. It is really disappointing!"
Dou Tao blushed and argued: "Su Daozhi was persuaded by me. Unexpectedly, Chen Cao, the Jin envoy to Qin, passed through Sujiapu. This person seemed to be interested in Wang Shangshu's plan to recruit tribes in Huaibei.
Knowing this very well, how could Su Daozhi dare to join our Qin State again!"
Dou Lang waved his hand and said: "You go down and take a bath first, then follow me to see the prince at night and tell you everything about Sujia Fort."
Dou Tao retreated.
That night, Dou Tao followed his father Dou Lang to the mansion of the general of the state to meet Wang Meng. At that time, Wang Meng held six positions. General of the state, captain of the Sili school, minister Zuopushe, Zhan Shi, Shizhong, Zhongshu Ling, Qin
The leader Fu Jian obeyed his words, and it could be said that he had power over the government and the public. The Han people in Guanzhong were naturally happy that Wang Meng was in power, but the Di nobles were resentful that Wang Meng suppressed their privileges. However, because Fu firmly believed that Wang Meng should be appointed,
The Di nobles were helpless, and Wang Meng was also vigilant and tried to maintain neutrality in dealing with the conflicts between Hu and Han. Last year, the Xiongnu left and right kings Cao Hub and Liu Weichen rebelled. Fu Jian personally led his troops to quell the rebellion and moved 6,000 powerful Xiongnu households to Chang'an for control.
The Xiongnu tribes, Wang Meng, presided over the placement of these 6,000 Xiongnu powerful men. After more than a hundred days, they finally settled down. Tonight, they were discussing with former General Yang An and Yangwu General Yao Chang about the attack on Jingxiang. I heard that Chang
Shi Doulang and Zi Dou Tao asked to see them and ordered someone to call them in.
Wang Meng's Fuguo General's Palace is in the west of Chang'an City. This place was originally the site of Han Shanglin Garden. After wars, Shanglin Garden, which was originally a magnificent palace with strange flowers and trees, is now in ruins. Fifteen years ago, the capital of Di Qin was moved from Fangtou to Chang'an.
, Most of the residences of the nobles and officials of Di Qin were built in the west of the city. Wang Meng was frugal, and the courtyard of his mansion was only a few acres. Dou Tao followed his father into the general's mansion. There were no lights along the road, only a boy servant led the way with a lantern.
Wang Meng is thirty-nine years old this year, of medium height, with silky eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and a five-inch black beard under his chin. His expression is solemn and resolute, and he has the tendency of not being angry and asserting himself. Dou Tao is wary, and after seeing the ceremony, he is about to go to Huaibei.
He reported the details of the trip to Wang Meng, and the debate with Chen Caozhi was slightly omitted, and the matter of Su Ruolan's topic was not mentioned.
Wang Meng twisted his beard and said in deep thought: "It's strange, how could Chen Caozhi know about my taking over the docks in Huaibei?"
Yang An, the former general present here, laughed and said, "Chen Caozhi must have had doubts when he saw Young Master Dou appearing in Sujiapu, so he tried to test him with words. Young Master Dou was young, so he was deceived."
Dou Tao was ashamed and angry, but he was ineffective in doing things and did not dare to defend himself, so he just swallowed his anger.
Wang Meng smiled calmly, it would be good if the Huaibei docks can be conquered, but if they are not conquered, it will not harm the overall situation. The Qin army currently only plans to plunder the land of Jingshu. For Huaibei and the Central Plains, it is best to let Jin and Yan fight in a lose-lose manner.
Seeing that Dou Tao was embarrassed, Wang Meng said warmly: "Lian Bo, this matter is not your fault. Who would have expected that Chen Caozhi would come to Sujiapu! But in this way, our Great Qin's plan to conquer all the docks in Huaibei is very important.
Everything is in vain." He paused and asked, "Who does the wise nephew Lian Bo think Chen Caozhi is?"
Dou Tao was ashamed but not angry, and replied: "Chen Caozhi, Jiangzuo has a very strong habit of being conceited and boastful. He doesn't know what to say."
Yao Chang's brother Yao Xiang once attached to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, but he was not tolerated by Yin Hao, the powerful official of the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time. Therefore, Yao Chang deeply hated and despised the Xuanyan talkers in Jiangzuo. He immediately echoed: "Huan Wen'er is the only one in Jiangzuo, and the rest are all
The incompetent man, Jiangzuo Weijie, hey, hey, a man with beautiful eyebrows is famous for his beauty, Wang Shangshu wants to negotiate with this kind of people, it is a waste of words."
Wang Meng smiled slightly and said: "Otherwise, Wang is quite interested in this Chen Caozhi. This man comes from a poor family, but he can make his family become a scholar. He can be friends with Xie Xuan and Fan Ning, and he can speak and talk clearly.
Sima Yu was highly praised by his peers, he was really talented and hard-working, but he was also highly valued by Huan Wen and Xi Chao. His pursuit of Lu's daughter not only did not bring him ruin, but his reputation grew. This is really unexpected!"
When Huan Wen went on the northern expedition to Bashang, Wang Meng, who was living in seclusion in Huashan, came to see Huan Wen and talked about it, which won Wang Meng's praise. However, Wang Meng did not return to Jiangdong with Huan Wen in the end because he was from a humble background and could not gain a foothold in the Eastern Jin Dynasty where there were many wealthy families.
He devoted his literary and military skills to achieve great things, so he decided to stay in Guanzhong and wait and see the changes. It was not until Fu Jian came to power that Wang Meng came out. Sure enough, he had to expand his ambitions. Wang Meng always felt that his decision to stay in the north was wise, because
There was no place for him in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He held a high position in Di Qin and held great power. He was also well aware of the major events of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Chen Caozhi walked step by step from Qiantang. He, Wang Meng, could see clearly from the other side and was quite surprised. It turned out that
A boy from a poor family could achieve great things in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, so Wang Meng wanted to meet Chen Caozhi.
Dou Tao said: "I report to Wang Shangshu that Chen Caozhi relies on calligraphy, painting, music, and music to gain fame and reputation. Jiangzuo focuses on these pretense, but in fact he has no practical talent."
Wang Meng glanced at Dou Tao and said calmly: "Last winter, Chen Caozhi made outstanding achievements in Tuduan in Kuaiji. He was not just a man who only talked about mystical things. Moreover, Chen Caozhi and Gu Kaizhi painted Buddhist statues in Kangwaguan Temple.
According to the mural, Buddhist believers from the Northern Kingdom, Yan and Qin Dynasties traveled thousands of miles to Jiankang to watch the ceremony, and returned with joy and praise. Empress Dowager Gou also knew about this. She learned that Chen Caozhi was coming to Chang'an a few months ago, so she asked her Majesty to stay with Chen Caozhi.
As an official in Qin, I can paint portraits for Qin's Buddhist temples, haha, so whether Chen Caozhi can return to Jiangdong depends on his own ability."
Dou Tao did not dare to say anything more, and thought to himself: "It is interesting to leave Chen Caozhi in Chang'an. Empress Dowager Gou believes in Buddhism and indulges in lust. Will Chen Caozhi enter Empress Dowager Gou's palace? Can General Wei tolerate it?
You have to defeat Chen Caozhi!"
General Li Wei of the Wei was Empress Dowager Gou's lover. This was known to both the government and the public. Moreover, when Fu Sheng was in power, he tried to kill Fu Jian several times, but it was all thanks to Li Wei to save his life. The Di people were more casual about matters between men and women, so Fu Jian treated his mother Gou Jian very carefully.
The Empress Dowager let Li Wei have a good relationship, and treated Li Wei like a father. Even Wang Meng treated Li Wei as a brother and respected him very much. This Li Wei was different from the male favorites in history who had brought disaster to the country and the people. He was loyal to the Di Qin Fu family.
In terms of governing the country, he cooperated with Wang Meng tacitly and achieved remarkable achievements. No matter whether he was a Di or a Han, no one looked down upon Li Wei because he was the leader of Empress Dowager Gou.
Late at night, Dou Lang, Dou Tao and his son said goodbye, and Yao Chang also said goodbye. Former general Yang An stayed to continue talking with Wang Meng. Yang An smiled and said: "Then Chang Yao was summoned by King Meng to discuss matters in the mansion. He was overjoyed. Wang Shangshu will
Reuse Yao Changhu?"
Yang An had a close personal relationship with Wang Meng and knew Wang Meng's intentions well. After Yao Xiang died, Yao Chang led the Qiang people to surrender to the Qin Dynasty. Wang Meng believed that Yao Chang did not sincerely surrender and would lead to chaos in the future. He secretly suggested to Fu Jian to kill Yao Chang to eliminate them. In the future, Fu Jian was very benevolent and refused to surrender, so Wang Meng had no choice but to give up. But now, Wang Meng has to entrust Yao Chang with the important task of conquering the south, so Yang An has this question.
Wang Meng smiled and said: "Now is the time to employ people, why can't I accommodate Yao Chang?"
Yang Anxin understood this and said nothing more. He just asked: "Since the Duke wants to negotiate peace with Jin, why do he want to attack Jingxiang with all his troops?"
Wang Meng said: "The weapons brought by the Jin people last time were indeed excellent. Jin wanted to exchange them for my Qin's war horses, but I gave them strong geldings that could only be driven for five or six years, and they were sterile. In this way, Jin will never be able to build a strong cavalry and will not pose a threat to our Qin state. When I wipe out the strong Yan, I will then plan for the east of the Yangtze River, unify the nine states, and create a peaceful and prosperous age."
Yang An admired and said: "Wang Shangshu has great talents and strategies, which Zhuge Wuhou cannot match."
Wang Meng said modestly, and then said: "Chen Caozhi must have arrived in Luoyang at this time. There are only 800 soldiers of Shen Jin left in Luoyang. Without reinforcements, Luoyang will be captured by Murong Ke in less than three months. Now Henan All the territory has been taken by Yan. After the isolated city of Luoyang is lost, Qin and Yan will confront each other in Hebei and Henan. This is not what I want."
The Yan State has Murong Ke, and its power is growing rapidly. However, the Qin State is still busy pacifying the Xiongnu and Di Qiang tribes in the north. Zhang Tianxi in Liangzhou is still alive, and the Tuoba clan in Yunzhong may also be in trouble, so Wang Meng also returns He did not want to compete with the Yan State south of the Yellow River. He had to stabilize the north first and then go to war with Xianbei Murong. This was the main reason why Wang Meng was willing to negotiate peace with the Eastern Jin Dynasty. But if the Eastern Jin Dynasty could not defend Luoyang, Henan would belong to the Yan State. The army can reach Tongguan, but Guanzhong will be in danger.
Yang Andao: "In that case, why don't I take Luoyang first?"
Wang Meng said: "The city of Luoyang is sparsely populated, and it is easy for me to take it. The reason why I keep it but not take it is to let Jin and Yan compete. But now it seems that Huan Wen is determined to become emperor on the left side of the Yangtze River, and I am afraid he has no intention of saving Luoyang." Silkworm frowned slightly, and then said: "I ordered General Jianjie Deng Qiang to garrison Lingbao and Ruicheng and wait for the opportunity. As for whether to take Luoyang first or something else, we will decide after meeting Chen Cao."
The next day, Wang Meng ordered Shi Doulang, the auxiliary minister, to go out to Tongguan to meet the Jin envoy Chen Caozhi. At this time, Chen Cao and his party of more than 300 people arrived in Luoyang. After a long talk with Shen Jin, Chen Caozhi said: Scouts were sent out to check on the movements of the Yan army. Duan Zhao, Duan Si's domestic slave, was also sent by Chen Caozhi to Yecheng to inquire about the news. Chen Caozhi also compiled two nursery rhymes for Duan Zhao to memorize, and then went to the countryside to teach in the suburbs of Yecheng. Children have sung it. Since the Han Dynasty, nursery rhymes and prophecies have been inseparable. When the Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was born, a Chang'an nursery rhyme sung: "Thousands of miles of grass, how green, and ten days of divination, there will be no life." Shortly afterwards, Dong Zhuo died.
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, everyone from the princes and nobles to the common people believed that nursery rhymes were foretold by heaven to predict the fortunes of the country and important people. Fu Jian once said that "the grass pays the ministers and the earth king Xianyang". There are so many people in Jiangdong named after stones. People were also inspired by a nursery rhyme. Xie Anshi, Xie Wanshi, and Huan Shiqian were all motivated by this. Since people at that time were so superstitious about nursery rhymes, Chen Caozhi certainly had to make full use of it.
